This drama-fest is the one that accomplished so many things at once. First of all, "Maginificent Obsession" put the entire genre of "over-blown Technicolor weepie" on the map. Secondly, this was the financial success director Douglas Sirk needed to enter himself into mainstream popularity. The team of Sirk, producer Ross Hunter, and studio Universal, became one of the powerhouses of the 1950s. Also, Rock Hudson's "leading man" status was born due to this role. And, the excellent Jane Wyman got yet another Oscar nomination, though she lost out to Grace Kelly who won for "The Country Girl". An enormous financial success, "Magnificent Obsession" was truly an influential little film.
Hudson plays Ron Kirby, a careless, wealthy playboy who is indirectly responsible for the death of a beloved local doctor. The doctor's widow turns out to be Wyman. In a twist of tragic fate, while trying to redeem himself, Ron causes an accident which blinds the widowed Helen. Befriending her by pretending to be someone else, he falls in love with her, and her with him. Helen travels to Europe to find out if her sight can be restored by Swiss doctors. All fails, and a smitten Ron devotes his life to medicine, hoping to become a surgeon and hopefully cure a devastated Helen.
"Magnificent Obsession" is a good, solid melodrama (nothing less can be expected from director Sirk) , with good performances by all (especially Wyman and Agnes Moorehead) , and soaring music in all the right spots. The scene in a Swiss hotel room, which finds Helen feeling her way around, alone, is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes - so extraordinary ! Not as tear-jerking as Sirk's "Imitation of Life" (1959) or as trashy as his "Written on the Wind" (1956), and even quite slow at times, this movie is worth one's time and effort - especially for fans of Sirk, Hudson, or Wyman. The dramatic pay-off is brilliant.
Hudson plays Ron Kirby, a careless, wealthy playboy who is indirectly responsible for the death of a beloved local doctor. The doctor's widow turns out to be Wyman. In a twist of tragic fate, while trying to redeem himself, Ron causes an accident which blinds the widowed Helen. Befriending her by pretending to be someone else, he falls in love with her, and her with him. Helen travels to Europe to find out if her sight can be restored by Swiss doctors. All fails, and a smitten Ron devotes his life to medicine, hoping to become a surgeon and hopefully cure a devastated Helen.
"Magnificent Obsession" is a good, solid melodrama (nothing less can be expected from director Sirk) , with good performances by all (especially Wyman and Agnes Moorehead) , and soaring music in all the right spots. The scene in a Swiss hotel room, which finds Helen feeling her way around, alone, is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes - so extraordinary ! Not as tear-jerking as Sirk's "Imitation of Life" (1959) or as trashy as his "Written on the Wind" (1956), and even quite slow at times, this movie is worth one's time and effort - especially for fans of Sirk, Hudson, or Wyman. The dramatic pay-off is brilliant.